Atlanta, GA — February 19, 2016 — The Thriving Families coalition, led by the Feminist Women’s Health Center, is bringing the “Typical American Families” photo exhibit to the Capitol building on Friday, February 19to convey to legislators how diverse Georgia’s families actually are. The exhibit has a message for state legislators: there is no typical American family and policies must reflect the state’s diversity. Each family photo is accompanied by an interview that shares their rich stories.

“Our goal is to introduce legislators to the realities of Georgia’s “typical” families, who are more diverse and unique than our policies recognize,” affirms MK Anderson, Public Policy Associate at the Feminist Women’s Health Center. “The exhibit is an opportunity to introduce these families to our legislators through art so they will remember these stories when they are voting on issues like healthcare and the economy.”

The first step toward making concrete policy change is acknowledging the complexity of Georgia families and the forms that they take.Through powerful visuals and storytelling, the photos feature the ethnic, generational and geographic diversity of both blood and chosen families to showcase the lived realities of families throughout the state.

“The project was something to bring us closer together, and to show that family doesn’t necessarily have to be blood,” said Erica Campbell, a first-generation American who has lived in Georgia for 12 years and is featured in the exhibit. Her sister, Bianca Campbell, added, “This was an opportunity to artistically cherish each other and also give a more holistic visualization of family to the public– one that I think many can relate to. It’s also an honor to have this photoshoot connect to the issues disproportionately impacting working class families like ours.”

“Typical American Families” was created in 2015 by artists Ross Oscar Knight and Carlton Mackey to capture stories and to explore what the definition of a family is. When they learned about the Feminist Women’s Health Center’s work and the Strong Families Resolution, they saw the natural connection and wanted to collaborate. “I believe that the concept of “family” is ever evolving in the U.S. as well as around the world,” said Knight. “Lawmakers and the general public must adapt to make sure access to quality services and care is available and affordable for everyone. It is my hope that people viewing this exhibit will hold their biases and simply relate to the families in the images. I wanted to help elevate these stories in ways that can have meaningful impact on policies and these families’ daily lives.”

The exhibit is open to the public and can be viewed for one day only on Friday, February 19, 2016. Our kick off press event starts at 1 p.m. and the exhibit lasts until 5 p.m. at the Georgia State Capitol Rotunda. Admission is free and all families are welcome.